Enjoy the State Fair

Alabama

Oak Mountain State Fair in Pelham, Alabama will be held from April 21 – 23, 2023. The fair is known for its live music and great family atmosphere. The Mi Pueblo food stand has become especially popular for its esquites, a creamy corn salad, tacos, and tamales. The tamales are what attract most people. They are prepared with a homemade masa wrapped around a filling consisting of shredded pork with red salsa or shredded chicken with tomatillo salsa. The tamales are assembled in individual corn husks, then stacked and steamed in a large pot for two hours and served warm. You just peel back the husk and add toppings like mild salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.

Alaska

The Alaska State Fair was held from August 19 - September 5, 2022. The fair is in Palmer, Alaska with the beautiful backdrop of rugged mountains like the Twin Peaks. Among the favorites for food is Pristine Products serving Prince William Sound oysters and Indian Valley Meats like spicy reindeer sausages. However, the all-time favorite is the deep-fried halibut prepared with fresh fish caught from the shores of the Kenai Peninsula. The halibut is dredged in tempura batter and fried until crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside. It is served with a side of French fries or the deep-fried halibut in a pita pocket. Pass the homemade tartar sauce.

Arkansas

The Four States Fair and Rodeo in Texarkana, Arkansas was held from April 1 – April 10, 2022. Among the food favorites at this fair is Elve’s Candy Booth featuring their peanut patties. Peanut patties are made with sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and red-skinned Spanish peanuts. The confection looks like peanut brittle but eats like a praline.

Arizona

The Arizona State Fair is held from September 23 – October 30, 2022, in Phoenix, Arizona. Among the foods, at the various food stalls, the favorite is Navajo bread. In texture, it is somewhere between a doughnut and a tortilla made simply with flour and water, then fried in hot oil. It is offered with sweet toppings like powdered sugar and honey or a sundae-inspired version with strawberries, ice cream, and whipped cream.

California

The California State Fair was held from July 15 to July 31, 2022, in Sacramento, California. Among the other foods and drinks here some of the most popular are available at the Save Mart Wine Garden. Here you can taste winning state wines and get a refreshing wine slushie, including WiLD Vines’ blackberry or strawberry and Madria Sangria Moscato, an icy white sangria with the taste of peach and apple.

Colorado

The Colorado State Fair was held from August 26 – September 5, 2022, in Pueblo, Colorado. Among the favorite foods at this state fair are deep-fried Pueblo chilies available at the Chiles en Fuego booth. They are made by taking local Pueblo chilies and dipping them in batter and deep frying them until golden crisp. They can be eaten with ranch or cheddar cheese dip.

Connecticut

The Durham Fair was held from September 22 – 25, 2022, in Durham, Connecticut. It is one of the largest all-volunteer fairs in the country run by the United Churches of Durham. Among the other foods and drinks here the most popular is the Lime Rickey mocktail which is prepared with freshly squeezed lime juice, simple syrup, and seltzer. Each drink is served in a custom 30-ounce cup that’s refilled at a discount year after year.

Delaware

The Delaware State Fair is a ten-day event beginning in late July in Harrington, Delaware. Among all of the fair food, the most popular is the scrapple sandwich at the Haass’ on the Go booth. It is prepared with pork meat, water, flour, cornmeal, black pepper, salt, and sage. Then the mixture is ground, formed into a loaf and chilled overnight. The scrapple is fired and put between to slices of white bread. It can be topped with condiments like mustard and mayo or sweet toppings like grape jelly and maple syrup.

Florida

The Florida State Fair was held from February 10 – 22, 2022, in Tampa, Florida. Among the favorite foods at the fair comes from DeAnna’s Food featuring the Strawberry Lemonade Sweetcake Sundae. It is prepared with a biscuit-style dough that is fried. The fried sweet cake pieces are coated with cinnamon sugar and drizzled with lemonade buttercream, then topped with fresh Florida strawberry slices and homemade whipped cream.

Georgia

The North Georgia State Fair was held from September 22 – October 2, 2022, in Marietta, Georgia. The most popular fair food is black-eyed peas which are simmered with bacon and served with chopped fresh onions and homemade cornbread muffins.

Hawaii

The Hawaii State Farm Fair was held July 9 – July 10, 2022, at Kualoa Ranch in Oahu’s Jurassic Valley. There is always plenty of fair food and fish fresh from the Pacific Ocean. The most popular has become the Panko Crusted Ahi Tuna Plate Lunch from Grandma G’s Ono Grindz. The dish is prepared with a Hawaiian ahi filet katsu-style dipped in flour, egg, and Panko bread crumbs then pan-fried until crispy outside and flaky inside. It is served with a splash of sweet wasabi sauce. It is served with two scoops of rice and local greens.

Idaho

The Western Idaho Fair is held from August 19 – August 28, 2022, in Boise, Idaho. The fair offers lots of great food, but one of the foods that stand out from the rest is the Idaho Ice Cream Potato which is a sundae disguised as a baked potato, and vanilla ice cream stands in place of the potato dusted with cocoa powder on the outside to look like potato skin with a mound of whipped cream instead of sour cream. It comes served on chocolate syrup, decorated with nuts, crushed Oreos as well as more chocolate sauce.

Illinois

The Illinois State Fair was held from August 17 – August 21, 2022, in Springfield, Illinois. The most popular fair food is Korndogs served from Vose’s Korndogs booth. A hot dog is dipped in batter and deep fried to make it golden and crunchy on the outside with juicy sausage on the inside.

Indiana

The Indiana State Fair was held from July 29 – August 21, 2022, in Indianapolis, Indiana. The top food that is consumed is roasted corn on the cob with 100,000 sweet corn ears served. Coming from local farmers the corn is tender and delicious. The roasted corn on the cob is usually accompanied by melted butter and customized with garlic salt, lemon pepper, hot sauce, mayonnaise, and Parmesan cheese.

Iowa

The Iowa State Fair was held from August 11 – August 21, 2022, in Des Moines, Iowa. The favorite among fair foods here is the pork chop on a stick made with Frenched bone-in pork chops cooked on rotisserie grills making them tender and juicy. They can be seasoned with salt, pepper, and barbecue sauce. The pork chop bone acts like a built-in stick, and there are 50,000 to 60,000 chops on a stick sold every year.

Kansas

The Kansas State Fair was held from September 9 – September 18, 2022, in Hutchinson, Kansas. The fair food here craved by most of the people comes from the Kansas Kitchen & Bakery and is known as Bierocks. These were first introduced by German and Eastern European immigrants. Bierocks are baked meat pies filled with savory fillings that include ground beer, cabbage, onions, and carrots surrounded by golden dough. They can be served with nacho cheese on the side or gravy on top.

Kentucky

The Kentucky State Fair was held from August 17 – August 27, 2022, in Louisville, Kentucky. What people love at this fair is the BBQ Porkchop Sandwich which is served at eight different booths. The butterflied boneless eight-ounce pork chops are grilled slowly over charcoal and basted with a vinegar-based barbecue sauce and placed between two halves of a pretzel bun. You can add a side of coleslaw or baked beans.

Louisiana

The State Fair of Louisiana will be held October 27 – November 13, 2022, in Shreveport, Louisiana. The booth people line up at here for some delicious fair food is Ms. Piggy’s Catering, offering Bayou Balls. There are three kinds. The Boudin Ball includes ground pork sausage, liver, rice, bell pepper, onions, and celery with Cajun seasoning and cayenne. The Crawfish Ball has the tail meat of crawfish and jus, bell peppers, onions, and celery with crawfish boil seasonings. The Gator Ball has alligator meat with Monterey cheese.

Maine

The Fryeburg Fair, a Blue Ribbon Classic Agricultural Fair was held from October 2 to October 9, 2022, in Fryeburg, Maine. Here the popular foods are crepes stuffed with gourmet fillings like spiced Maine blueberry compote and signature vanilla bean whipped cream.

Maryland

The Maryland State Fair was held on August 26 – 28, September 1-5 and, 8- 11, 2022 in Lutherville-Timonium, Maryland. This is where the biggest favorite among fair foods is at the Maryland Foods Pavilion. It is the Crab Patty which consists of a fried soft-shell crab on a roll with lettuce and tomato.

Massachusetts

The Topsfield Fair was held from October 1 – October 11, 2022, in Topsfield, Massachusetts. It is an annual county fair and known as America’s Oldest County Fair. Every autumn it hosts the All New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off with some pumpkins weighing in at 2,000 pounds and more. The food that is popular here can be found at the Whoopie Wagon and is the Pumpkin Whoopie Pie. The pie has a cream cheese and vanilla buttercream filling sandwiched between two pumpkin spiced cake round dusted with powdered sugar.

Michigan

The Michigan State Fair was held September 1 – September 5, 2022, in Novi, Michigan. This state fair is always held on Labor Day weekend, Here, farmers show off what they have grown. Among the top treats is the Chocolate Covered Cherry Scone. This starts off with a flaky pastry filled with dried Michigan cherries and dark chocolate chips then drizzled with chocolate.

Minnesota

The Minnesota State Fair was held from August 24 – September 4, 2022, at Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Most people at this fair enjoy Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar and its chocolate chip cookies. The warm cookies can be ordered by cone or bucket.

Mississippi

The Mississippi State Fair was held from October 6 – October 16, 2022, in Jacksonville, Mississippi. This is the oldest fair in the South. Among the favorites at this fair are biscuits. These are baked up as fluffy Southern-style biscuits which are then drenched in sweet syrup and served warm.

Missouri

The Missouri State Fair will be held from August 10 – August 20, 2022, in Sedalia, Missouri. Of all the fair foods here what people most look forward to is the Walnut-Topped Salad. The American black walnut is the official tree nut of the state. This salad has additional toppings like pulled pork, goat cheese, and fresh blackberries.

Montana

The Montana State Fair was held from July 29 to August 6, 2022, in Great Falls, Montana. At this fair what almost everyone craves is known as The Viking. This can be found at the Sons of Norway booth and is a deep-fried snack, a meatball on a stick. It is prepared with a ball of ground beef bound with eggs and oatmeal, seasoned with onion and a Scandinavian spice blend then dipped in batter and deep fried.

Nebraska

The Nebraska State Fair was held from August 26 – September 5, 2022, in Grand Island, Nebraska. Here those attending the fair look forward to Cactus Jack’s Chuck Wagon with gourmet burgers. One of those burgers is the Reuben Burger which is made with a seasoned steak burger topped with thickly-sliced smoked brisket, white American cheese, tangy sauerkraut and a signature bistro sauce.

Nevada

The Nevada State Fair was held from June 2 – June 5, 2022, in Carson City, Nevada. Here people look forward to heading for the Liberty Food & Wine Exchange for a serving from the Basque Fry and what is fried are lamb testicles. The meat is thinly slices and tenderized with a mallet, marinated in milk overnight, then battered and dredged in lightly seasoned bread crumbs and fried until golden brown. This special order is accompanied by a Basque ketchup seasoned with smoked paprika and piment d’espelette, a variety of pepper.

New Hampshire

The Seacoast Extreme County Fair was held from September 13 – September 16, 2022, in Epping, New Hampshire. This is the newest and most extreme fair in New England. The favorite here is the lobster roll. Lobster meat with aioli, finely diced celery, parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice are piled into a toasted hot dog bun. You can have your lobster meat tossed with Crook’s Asian-inspired sauce with lemongrass, makrut lime, chili, and fish sauce.

New Jersey

The New Jersey State Fair/Sussex County Farm and Horse Show was held from August 5 – August 13, 2022, in Augusta, New Jersey. What fairgoers crave here is the Meatball and Mozzarella Bread Cone and can get it at the Cone Utopia booth. This consists of simmered beef meatballs in a rich, homemade marinara sauce piled into a steamed Italian bread cone and topped with shredded mozzarella cheese.

New Mexico

The New Mexico State Fair was held from September 8 – September 18, 2022, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Here the fair food people want the most is the Green Chili Navajo Taco. These tacos are made with Navajo fry bread which is fluffy inside and crisp outside it is topped with seasoned ground beef, pinto beans, cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and spicy peppers.

New York

The Great New York State Fair was held from August 25 – September 5, 2022, on the shores of Onondaga Lake, in Geddes, near the western border of Syracuse, New York. People here just love Buffalo Wing Sauce and look forward to chicken wings with a Louisiana-style hot pepper sauce blend with bleu cheese and fresh celery. The sauce comes in mild, medium, and hot.

North Carolina

The North Carolina State Fair will be held from October 13 – October 23, 2022, in Raleigh, North Carolina. When the fair turned 150 in 2017, it was the same year that local soda Cheerwine has its 100th anniversary. At this time fair vendors, Beth and Nance Tapp created the Cheerwine Funnel Cake and started selling it at their Beaver Concessions booth. It became a fair favorite. Cheerwine soda is the special ingredient of the funnel cake giving it a double dose of cherry cola flavor and pint tint in the batter once baked it is topped with buttercream frosting.

North Dakota

The North Dakota State Fair was held from September 28 – October 1, 2022, in Minot, North Dakota. The food everyone craves at this fair is called Poutine. This is a Canadian dish of French fries topped with fresh cheese curds and brown gravy. You’ll find it at the Walleye on a Stick booth that won the annual Food Frenzy food contest in 2012 with their version of this classic dish.

Ohio

The Ohio State Fair was held from July 27 – August 7, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. The state tree is the buckeye so it is the Buckeye State and so the buckeye nut is used as a sweet treat for fairgoers. Deep-fried buckeyes are covered in batter, deep-fried, drizzled with chocolate, and sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Oklahoma

The Oklahoma State Fair was held from September 15 – September 25, 2022, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The state is home to The National Indian Taco Championships in Pawhuska, so one of the fair’s signature dishes has become the Indian Taco. It is prepared with fry bread and layered with seasoned ground beef, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. Some versions include brisket, steak, or shredded chicken and add-ons like sliced black olives, jalapenos, and Serrano chilies.

Oregon

The Oregon Country Fair was held from July 8 – July 10, 2022, in Eugene, Oregon. Fairgoers here are fond of the hemp burgers at the Hemp House Grill. This is an organic patty with the main ingredient being the hemp nut left after de-shelling hemp seeds. All combined with quinoa, garbanzo beans, and fresh herbs resulting in a well-cooked burger served with sweet-spicy hemp sauce with garlic and basil.

Pennsylvania

The Great Allentown Fair was held from August 31 – September 5, 2022, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The food favorite where is the Pennsylvania Dutch Funnel Cake. The cake is made with a batter that consists of flour, milk, eggs, sugar, and baking powder piped through a funnel into hot oil in a circular coil shape then fried until golden crisp and served hot with powdered sugar.

Rhode Island

The Washington County Fair was held from August 16 – August 20, 2022, in Richmond, Rhode Island. It is the biggest agricultural event in the state and home to New England’s largest traveling roller coaster. The favorite among fair foods here is the Seafood Chowder which consists of local clams, mussels, lobster, and fish.

South Carolina

The South Carolina State Fair will be held from October 12 – October 23, 2022, in Columbia, South Carolina. The DeAnna’s Food Truck offers the signature dish and favorite of this fair. It is the Shrimp and Grits Sundae where the grits are cooked to a creamy texture as they simmer with crumbled bacon, cheddar, Gouda, and cream cheese. It is all then piled into a sundae cup along with marinated white shrimp. The shrimp are sautéed with Cajun seasoning until the marinade reduces into a sauce. The sundae can be served with extra Cajun sauce and optional toppings like garlic-butter mushrooms, and grilled onions and peppers.

South Dakota

The South Dakota State Fair was held from August 31 – September 6, 2022, in Huron, South Dakota. The favorite at this fair is a smoked roast beef sandwich. The meat is seasoned and roasted on a hickory wood-fired pellet grill for eight hours. Then the meat is sliced and served au jus on buns. The sandwiches can have pickles, barbecue sauce, ketchup, or mustard. Upgrading to a Beef Melt you get roast beef with sautéed peppers, onions, and cheese on a hoagie bun.

Tennessee

The Tennessee State Fair was held from August 18 – August 27, 2022, in Nashville, Tennessee. What has fairgoers excited is the Deep-Fried Goo Goo Cluster which is a Nashville confection invented in 1912. The cluster consists of roasted peanuts, marshmallow nougat, and caramel in milk chocolate then deep-fried.

Texas

The State Fair of Texas is being held from September 30 - October 23, 2022, in Dallas, Texas. Fairgoers particularly enjoy the Injectable Great Balls of BBQ. To prepare them a smoked, shredded beef brisket is mixed with bock barbecue sauce laced with a German-style lager. Then the brisket is rolled in seasoned bread crumbs and deep-fried until golden and served on a bed of coleslaw. Each order comes with its own pipette of bock BBQ sauce to inject another blast of barbecue flavor.

Utah

The Utah State Fair was held from September 8 – September 18, 2022, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Here people prefer Rocky Mountain Concessions and the incredible French-Fry Stuffed Burger. A cooked hamburger patty with shredded cheddar-jack cheese, pickles, and pre-cooked fries are wrapped into a made-from-scratch dough. The edges are crimped, so the stuffing stays in place and then is deep fried to a golden brown. It is served with ketchup, mustard, and mayo for dipping.

Vermont

The Vermont State Fair is held from August 16 – August 20, 2022, in Rutland, Vermont. This state is the largest producer of maple syrup in the country. One of the favorites at this fair is the Maple Creamee, a vanilla-based soft server blended with pure Vermont maple syrup.

Virginia

The State Fair of Virginia was held from September 23 – October 3, 2022, in Doswell, Virginia. At this fair, people love to order Butt Fries. These are made with hickory smoked and shredded pork that is piled on French fries with sour cream, cheese sauce, barbecue sauce, and green onion,

Washington

The Washington State Fair was held from September 2 – September 25, 2022, in Puyallup, Washington. This is one of the largest state fairs in the country. It is the place where you can have Fisher Scones served hot from the oven topped with whipped sweet honey butter spread and raspberry jam.

West Virginia

The State Fair of West Virginia was held from August 11 – August 20, 2022, in Lewisburg, West Virginia. The favorite and signature dish here is a country ham sandwich that is a combination of a quarter-inch-thick slice of ham cooked on a grill and placed on a warm hamburger bun topped with lettuce and mayo.

Wisconsin

The Wisconsin State Fair was held from August 4 – August 14, 2022, in West Allis, Wisconsin. The favorite of fairgoers here is the Original Cream Puff created in 1924 by the Wisconsin Bakers Association. You can get this tasty treat at the Original Cream Puff Pavilion; it features fluffy pastry and sweet whipped cream in the center and is dusted with powdered sugar. Annually 350,000 – 400,000 cream puffs are sold.

Wyoming

The Wyoming State Fair was held from August 16 – August 20, 2022, in Douglas, Wyoming. Among the favorites here of fair food is the Rotary Burger. It is a grilled beef patty topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onions on a bun.